This disclosure relates to a clutch housing for a clutch assembly of a vehicle, and in particular, but not exclusively, relates to a clutch housing having an integral fluid pathway at least partially disposed within a wall of the clutch housing.
In a hydraulic system for a clutch of a vehicle, it is common to use a master cylinder and slave cylinder arrangement to actuate the clutch. The clutch slave cylinder is connected to the master cylinder by a hydraulic fluid line such that a hydraulic pressure in the master cylinder is transferred to the clutch slave cylinder to actuate the clutch.
In modern vehicles, the clutch slave cylinder may be disposed within a clutch housing, which is often referred to as a bell housing. This is advantageous as it removes the need for a mechanical connection, such as a clutch fork or a push rod, to pass through an opening in a wall of the clutch housing. However, for slave cylinders that are mounted inside the clutch housing, the hydraulic fluid must be transferred from the master cylinder to the slave cylinder across the wall of the clutch housing.
It is known to connect the master cylinder to the slave cylinder using flexible and/or rigid fluid lines, for example rubber hoses and/or plastic pipes, that pass through openings in the clutch housing when assembled with the clutch housing. However, owing to the high operating temperatures of the clutch, hydraulic fluid lines that pass though the clutch housing may be prone to failure, which results in an inability to actuate the clutch and/or hydraulic fluid leaking into the clutch housing. Furthermore, the volumetric efficiency of the clutch slave cylinder decreases with an increase in operating temperature of the hydraulic fluid.
It is desirable, therefore, to mitigate the risk of failure of the hydraulic fluid lines and hydraulic fluid leaking into the clutch housing. It is also desirable to maintain the temperature of the hydraulic fluid below the operating temperatures of the clutch.